Francis Ford Coppola says Barbenheimer is “a victory for cinema”

Francis Ford Coppola has called the box office success of Barbenheimer “a victory for cinema”.

• READ MORE: ‘Oppenheimer’ review: Christopher Nolan’s mind-blowing biopic hits like a bomb to the brain

Barbie and Oppenheimer enjoyed a hugely anticipated dual release this month (July 21), with huge box office returns.

While answering questions from fans on his Instagram page, Coppola was asked about the two films, and he said it sets a shining example for cinema.

“I have yet to see them, but the fact that people are filling big theaters to see them and that they are neither ‘sequels’ nor ‘prequels’… no number attached to them meaning they are true one-off’s is victory for Cinema,” he said.

Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, scored a glowing five-star review from NME‘s Paul Bradshaw, who wrote: “Not just the definitive account of the man behind the atom bomb, Oppenheimer is a monumental achievement in grown-up filmmaking. For years, Nolan has been perfecting the art of the serious blockbuster – crafting smart, finely-tuned multiplex epics that demand attention; that can’t be watched anywhere other than in a cinema, uninterrupted, without distractions. But this, somehow, feels bigger.”

Meanwhile, the Greta Gerwig-helmed Barbie earned a four-star review, with NME‘s Alex Flood writing: “The script contains unexpected subtlety, particularly during the tender moments which pack an emotional punch. Gerwig is clever enough to deliver these with self-awareness and some sarcastic jokes, meaning the balance between reality and commercial is never lost. For a movie that ostensibly exists to promote a doll, this is laudable. Now come on Barbie, let’s go party.”

This week, it was revealed that an Indian cinema accidentally played Barbie subtitled during an Oppenheimer screening.

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